The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus for steering steered wheels according to an operation of a steering member.
In a so-called link type vehicle steering apparatus in which steering member is mechanically coupled to steered wheels, for example, a steering column and a rack housing are elastically supported using elastic support members such as a rubber bush.
In recent years, a so-called steer-by-wire (linkless) type steering apparatus has been proposed, in which a mechanical coupling between the steering member and the steered wheels is uncoupled and in which a part of a steering transmission system is constituted by an electric path.
In this kind of the steer-by-wire type steering apparatus, the vehicle steering apparatus in which a housing for supporting a steering ring shaft connected to a steering member is elastically supported. (see, e.g., JP-A-2005-306364)
Meanwhile, in a case where an elastic support structure having been used in a conventional link type vehicle steering apparatus is applied to a structure for supporting a steered mechanism of the steer-by-wire type vehicle steering apparatus, there is a fear of reduction in controllability of an actual steered angle. That is, there are fears that reproducibility of an actual steered angle with respect to a steering angle is reduced, and that a steering feeling is deteriorated.